A new report from loot box researcher Leon Y. Xiao indicates that Belgian loot box laws that prohibit the sale of random microtransaction boxes in games are not properly enforced, most of the hit games available in the European country they still implement systems. .
According to GamesIndustry.biz, a study published by Xiao on July 28 found that 82 of the 100 highest-grossing Belgian iPhone games in May 2022 contained loot features. This despite the Belgian Gaming Commission’s recommendation in 2018 to open a criminal case for the use of illegal loot boxes.
Xiao’s report says the law can be easily circumvented through a number of different measures. For example, the report states that in the case of Roblox, its publisher “did not explicitly require custom loot boxes to be blocked for purchase in Belgium.”
These laws have caused some developers to remove loot boxes from their games in Belgium, including EA’s FIFA series, Valve’s Dota 2 and CS:GO, and Psyonix’s Rocket League. Among the most notable games recently affected is Diablo Immortal, with Activision Blizzard not releasing its mobile/PC crossover RPG game in Belgium or the Netherlands due to concerns about its Elder Rifts loot box system.
The study highlighted the “negative consequences” of breaking the ban, such as creating a false sense of security. Xiao says that “the Belgian Gaming Commission has given video game consumers (including children and parents of young gamers) the false impression that Belgian gamers are now safe from loot boxes”, even the games are still widely available to buy.
The report also criticized the commission’s report, saying it “failed to verify whether its ‘ban’ was effective.” Furthermore, he notes that it has resulted in increased revenue for “non-compliant companies” whose games have been allowed to “replace games that have been withdrawn from the national market with more socially responsible companies.”
It was recently reported that Diablo Immortal microtransactions have raised over $100 million in spending from players on mobile alone since the game’s launch to spend money using loot boxes in games like FIFA 22. Meanwhile, the UK government is considering a loot box law intended to protect children from these monetization models.
Source : PC Gamesn
